Jurassic Park (1997, VHS)

Jurassic Park (1993)

The special effects in Jurassic Park are absolutely astounding as you watch dinosaurs of all types going through their daily routines, that is, until the computer system shuts down and the meat eaters get out from behind the electrically charged fences to see what man tastes like!

Sam Neill and Laura Dern are paleontologists invited by Richard Attenborough to visit his new theme park, Jurassic Park located on a remote Pacific Isle. A mathematician, Jeff Goldblum and a lawyer are also invited. Their task is to evaluate the park before it gets opened to the public. Each of the four experts is nationally known and will give credibility to Attenborough's brainchild if their report is favorable. Also there for a sneak preview are Attenborough's grandchildren, a computer programmer, and a professional hunter.

The movie starts out with a sense of wonder, showing the behind the scenes operations of Jurassic Park. Everything is computer controlled and high tech. When Sam Neill and Laura Dern see their first dinosaurs it is a pleasure to watch the faces of people who have only studied dry bones see their long dead subjects in the flesh. There is a majesty to the grass eaters that comes across loud and clear. Goldblum is a cynic who spouts inanities and mainly tries to hit on Laura Dern.

The dinosaurs are the real stars of Jurassic Park and they are so well done I was half convinced they were real. The story goes that Attenborough figured out how to extract dino DNA from a mosquito locked in amber, filling in the blanks with frog DNA. For safety, all the dinos are girls so they can't reproduce and Attenborough has a lock on the process so only he can make new dinos. Of course, this is where the plot thickens, as the computer programmer is going to steal some of the freeze-dried embryos. Oh, and some of the dinosaurs have changed sex and they have mated -- a side effect of the frog DNA.

Director Steven Spielberg created a special effects tour de force and deserves to be highly commended for the vision to bring these extinct creatures to the screen in such vivid detail. When the Velociraptors attack, you will be looking for cover too, just like the screen characters. Tyrannosaurus Rex is the most impressive of all as he throws his forty-foot frame around. I was absolutely awestruck by the perfection of these creatures.

The story, on the other hand was only good. The casting and acting was clearly secondary to the magic of the dinosaurs - unfortunately it shows. There was no memorable character, except the computer programmer, and he only occupied about 10 minutes of the film. Sam Neill, Samuel L. Jackson, Laura Dern, the kids, and Richard Attenborough were all basically wasted, as some character development would have made this film a definite five star. Picture "Indiana Jones in the Lost World" and you'll see what I mean. There was no such strong character in Jurassic Park. Three stars.

As entertainment, Jurassic Park delivers. It's just that I could see so much room for improvement, particularly in the story and characterizations. For fans of special effects thrillers I also recommend Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones, Jaws, 2001:A Space Odyssey and The Abyss